code-of-conduct-interpretation.rst 7.2 KB

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  1. .. _code_of_conduct_interpretation:
  2. Linux Kernel Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct Interpretation
  3. ================================================================
  4. The :ref:`code_of_conduct` is a general document meant to
  5. provide a set of rules for almost any open source community. Every
  6. open-source community is unique and the Linux kernel is no exception.
  7. Because of this, this document describes how we in the Linux kernel
  8. community will interpret it. We also do not expect this interpretation
  9. to be static over time, and will adjust it as needed.
  10. The Linux kernel development effort is a very personal process compared
  11. to "traditional" ways of developing software. Your contributions and
  12. ideas behind them will be carefully reviewed, often resulting in
  13. critique and criticism. The review will almost always require
  14. improvements before the material can be included in the
  15. kernel. Know that this happens because everyone involved wants to see
  16. the best possible solution for the overall success of Linux. This
  17. development process has been proven to create the most robust operating
  18. system kernel ever, and we do not want to do anything to cause the
  19. quality of submission and eventual result to ever decrease.
  20. Maintainers
  21. -----------
  22. The Code of Conduct uses the term "maintainers" numerous times. In the
  23. kernel community, a "maintainer" is anyone who is responsible for a
  24. subsystem, driver, or file, and is listed in the MAINTAINERS file in the
  25. kernel source tree.
  26. Responsibilities
  27. ----------------
  28. The Code of Conduct mentions rights and responsibilities for
  29. maintainers, and this needs some further clarifications.
  30. First and foremost, it is a reasonable expectation to have maintainers
  31. lead by example.
  32. That being said, our community is vast and broad, and there is no new
  33. requirement for maintainers to unilaterally handle how other people
  34. behave in the parts of the community where they are active. That
  35. responsibility is upon all of us, and ultimately the Code of Conduct
  36. documents final escalation paths in case of unresolved concerns
  37. regarding conduct issues.
  38. Maintainers should be willing to help when problems occur, and work with
  39. others in the community when needed. Do not be afraid to reach out to
  40. the Technical Advisory Board (TAB) or other maintainers if you're
  41. uncertain how to handle situations that come up. It will not be
  42. considered a violation report unless you want it to be. If you are
  43. uncertain about approaching the TAB or any other maintainers, please
  44. reach out to our conflict mediator, Mishi Choudhary <mishi@linux.com>.
  45. In the end, "be kind to each other" is really what the end goal is for
  46. everybody. We know everyone is human and we all fail at times, but the
  47. primary goal for all of us should be to work toward amicable resolutions
  48. of problems. Enforcement of the code of conduct will only be a last
  49. resort option.
  50. Our goal of creating a robust and technically advanced operating system
  51. and the technical complexity involved naturally require expertise and
  52. decision-making.
  53. The required expertise varies depending on the area of contribution. It
  54. is determined mainly by context and technical complexity and only
  55. secondary by the expectations of contributors and maintainers.
  56. Both the expertise expectations and decision-making are subject to
  57. discussion, but at the very end there is a basic necessity to be able to
  58. make decisions in order to make progress. This prerogative is in the
  59. hands of maintainers and project's leadership and is expected to be used
  60. in good faith.
  61. As a consequence, setting expertise expectations, making decisions and
  62. rejecting unsuitable contributions are not viewed as a violation of the
  63. Code of Conduct.
  64. While maintainers are in general welcoming to newcomers, their capacity
  65. of helping contributors overcome the entry hurdles is limited, so they
  66. have to set priorities. This, also, is not to be seen as a violation of
  67. the Code of Conduct. The kernel community is aware of that and provides
  68. entry level programs in various forms like kernelnewbies.org.
  69. Scope
  70. -----
  71. The Linux kernel community primarily interacts on a set of public email
  72. lists distributed around a number of different servers controlled by a
  73. number of different companies or individuals. All of these lists are
  74. defined in the MAINTAINERS file in the kernel source tree. Any emails
  75. sent to those mailing lists are considered covered by the Code of
  76. Conduct.
  77. Developers who use the kernel.org bugzilla, and other subsystem bugzilla
  78. or bug tracking tools should follow the guidelines of the Code of
  79. Conduct. The Linux kernel community does not have an "official" project
  80. email address, or "official" social media address. Any activity
  81. performed using a kernel.org email account must follow the Code of
  82. Conduct as published for kernel.org, just as any individual using a
  83. corporate email account must follow the specific rules of that
  84. corporation.
  85. The Code of Conduct does not prohibit continuing to include names, email
  86. addresses, and associated comments in mailing list messages, kernel
  87. change log messages, or code comments.
  88. Interaction in other forums is covered by whatever rules apply to said
  89. forums and is in general not covered by the Code of Conduct. Exceptions
  90. may be considered for extreme circumstances.
  91. Contributions submitted for the kernel should use appropriate language.
  92. Content that already exists predating the Code of Conduct will not be
  93. addressed now as a violation. Inappropriate language can be seen as a
  94. bug, though; such bugs will be fixed more quickly if any interested
  95. parties submit patches to that effect. Expressions that are currently
  96. part of the user/kernel API, or reflect terminology used in published
  97. standards or specifications, are not considered bugs.
  98. Enforcement
  99. -----------
  100. The address listed in the Code of Conduct goes to the Code of Conduct
  101. Committee. The exact members receiving these emails at any given time
  102. are listed at https://kernel.org/code-of-conduct.html. Members can not
  103. access reports made before they joined or after they have left the
  104. committee.
  105. The initial Code of Conduct Committee consists of volunteer members of
  106. the TAB, as well as a professional mediator acting as a neutral third
  107. party. The first task of the committee is to establish documented
  108. processes, which will be made public.
  109. Any member of the committee, including the mediator, can be contacted
  110. directly if a reporter does not wish to include the full committee in a
  111. complaint or concern.
  112. The Code of Conduct Committee reviews the cases according to the
  113. processes (see above) and consults with the TAB as needed and
  114. appropriate, for instance to request and receive information about the
  115. kernel community.
  116. Any decisions by the committee will be brought to the TAB, for
  117. implementation of enforcement with the relevant maintainers if needed.
  118. A decision by the Code of Conduct Committee can be overturned by the TAB
  119. by a two-thirds vote.
  120. At quarterly intervals, the Code of Conduct Committee and TAB will
  121. provide a report summarizing the anonymised reports that the Code of
  122. Conduct committee has received and their status, as well details of any
  123. overridden decisions including complete and identifiable voting details.
  124. We expect to establish a different process for Code of Conduct Committee
  125. staffing beyond the bootstrap period. This document will be updated
  126. with that information when this occurs.